DETECTIVE

owners until I purchased it in the fall of 2020 and had it imported to Ontario.

“The body and paint are original, as the cracks in the 67 year paint testify. A real 30 footer! The seats were recovered sometime in non-original DeSoto material. Odometer indicates 53,000 miles. The motor (330 Hemi with 230 hp) runs smooth and does not smoke, which may indicate original mileage. Still a work in progress.”

Don’s DeSoto is a classic example of the “Forward Look” designed by Chrysler stylist Virgil Exner beginning with the 1955 models. The raised rear fenders on Don’s ’56 are a hint of bigger tailfins to come in 1957. On Don’s dash you can see the push buttons for the automatic transmission, the first year for this feature.

Kevin Stiles owns the 1959 DeSoto. “My father (Don Stiles) found this rare beauty in south central Ontario on Kijiji. A Canadian car (sold new in Timmins, Ontario), the earliest known history is of her purchase in 1985, followed by subsequent buyers in 1991, 2000, and 2007. I bought her in the spring of 2018, since which time she has been happily cruising and humming along the roads of the Greater Toronto Area with her 383 V8.

“I reupholstered her seats using the original pattern, my dad tended to her few and minor mechanical and rust issues, and her paint is an original gorgeous dark blue tint with tiny specks of light green throughout. She’s a survivor indeed and a real gem.”

The 1959 DeSoto came in four series with names designed to light up your life: the entry-level Firesweep, the mediumpriced Firedome, and the higher-priced Fireflyte. If you had lots of money to spend, you could buy the top-of-the-line DeSoto Adventurer which compared closely to the 1959 Chrysler 300E.

The 1961 DeSoto came out in the fall of 1960 but production ended by Christmas because DeSotos were priced too close to the more popular Chryslers.

Watch for details of the proposed DeSoto Convention in Chatham, Ontario, in 2023 celebrating this famous make since the first day it arrived in 1928. In this hobby, the fun never ends! ■